Chapter 88: The Cappuccino Effect (pg1357)
This chapter talks about why people buy into products that are more or less the same if they either cost more, are branded better, or both. Creating an experience around a product is an extremely powerful thing and especially today. This goes for clothing but this can also be said about any type of product these days. It goes for electronics, beauty products, cooking products, even events. Developing a feeling that is more than the product drives people to spend money because they’re attached to the way it makes them feel. This is what branding is. Big companies are catching on to this and put a lot of focus on creating an experience, feeling, and brand around what they’re selling. If you go to the grocery store and see ten different hand soaps you’re going to either pick the one that is cheapest or the one that just seems the best to you. You’re picking the one that “seems” the best to you based on the way that it’s branded because you haven’t used any of the products yet. An example of a company that is branded so well that it almost doesn’t even matter how well the products work is Glossier. The packaging and aesthetic of all of the products they sell is so well done and contagious that many people buy them solely based on the way they look and the brand of the company. I own some of their products to and if I’m being completely honest I think they work just okay, they aren’t fantastic and they don’t really live up to the hype that surrounds them. I was roped into this branding trap as well.
